NORWALK -- Mecha Noodle Bar opened its doors in historic South Norwalk last month and flew under the radar while making steaming bowls of pho and ramen and many other foods familiar to Southeast Asian cuisine.

"We came to SoNo for the community and the crowd," co-founder and CEO Richard Reyes said. "(Mecha Noodle Bar) is a neighborhood place where locals want to go multiple times a week. The local scene in SoNo has a dedicated following."

Reyes, his brother Juan Reyes and Tony Pham, are all co-founders of Mecha Noodle Bar. They also have another Mecha Noodle Bar in Fairfield. They all have backgrounds or family history in the restaurant business -- with Juan Reyes being a trained chef himself. They hope to open another noodle shop in New Haven.

"When it comes to the dishes of your childhood, the standards are high. Every color, flavor, and aroma inspires us to connect diverse communities of people via Asian comfort food," said co-founder and Culinary Director Tony Pham, who added that his mother was always cooking him Vietnamese food.

The Reyes brothers' family owned a Latin deli in Danbury and they had been a part of that since they were eight-years old.

"Mecha Noodle Bar in SoNo has about 20 to 25 people on staff and almost all are locals -- even the chefs are locals, which can be hard to find for a Southeast Asian restaurant in Fairfield County," Richard Reyes said.

Mecha Noodle Bar first opened in Fairfield in 2013 and, after its success, looked for a chance to open in SoNo.

"When we got that moment of opportunity to open our own restaurants, we wanted to come back (to the restaurant business) in a heart beat," Richard Reyes said.

The SoNo location differs from the Fairfield location as their is a full bar and different menu items. About 70 percent of the menu is the same as Fairfield -- SoNo has fried shrimp banh mi and brussel sprouts with blood sausage (their play on a typical Vietnamese salad), while Fairfield has its own unique items.

"You build to your community, and SoNo is very bar driven. You have this downtown strip that is walking friendly ... SoNo is the perfect place to test it," Richard Reyes said. "People love a bowl of noodles and people love a stiff drink. There's nothing better than a bowl of noodles after a few drinks!"

Mecha Noodle Bar serves everything from authentic Vietnamese Pho to Japanese ramen and other Southeast Asian comfort food. The restaurant also has a bar that serves draft beers, non-alcohol and alcoholic bubble teas and various Asian spirits like schochu and sake.

"Pho is a vietnamese rice noodle that has either a beef or chicken base -- almost like a consommé -- and typically has bean sprouts, thai basil, cilantro, scallions and meat," Juan Reyes said. "While ramen is a Japanese wheat noodle which has a much more concentrated flavor in its broth."

Mecha Noodle Bar offers over five kinds of pho combinations plus a variety of things you can add. The restaurant also has six ramen combinations that covers all the bases.

"All our noodles are fresh. We get them freshly made from Sun Noodles in New Jersey every day," Juan Reyes said.

The restaurant features a long countertop bar, sit-down tables and a large communal table to promote a sense of community. It also features an open kitchen so customers can see the chef's in action and the steam coming off the bowls.

"Downtown South Norwalk has already been supporting us in a big way so it only seemed natural to bring guests in this area to a wholly new and refreshing concept," Richard Reyes said. "We want to introduce SoNo to a type of food that is not very well-known in these parts."

Mecha Noodle Bar is currently open seven days a week from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday. Late night menu is open from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m.

For more information, visit mechanoodlebar.com or call (203) 295-8718.